Atlas helps you avoid sorting through an ecosystem of plugins, hoping them to stay maintained, just to publish your work and set up the editor. It also supports iCloud sync out of the box with powerful conflict resolution tools that integrate directly with document history to keep your work safe.
Fully offline with smart syncing through iCloud; Atlas treats your documents very carefully with a unified history from each device and instead of dumping all of your content into a duplicate recovery folder: No up-charge required.
No need to mess with plugins just to export and publish your work how you want: Atlas has a built in export tool which allows for creation of rich documents in ePubs and PDF, all with their own customizable styling.
Atlas provides tools out of the box to help you focus—literally, a Focus Mode which dims text away from the cursor and typewriting scrolling to keep edits pinned where you want, so you don’t have to spend time looking for something that passes in a marketplace.
A full creative workspace to house the things you need to build out your projects, all syncing through iCloud. Atlas is designed to help you build as well as write your next story.
| Feature | Atlas | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| One-time purchase option | Lifetime Availability Sales |
Free (Personal use) Paid Add-ons |
| Ready To Go | Often Needs Plugins | |
| Plugin Ecosystem | — | |
| Native iOS/macOS Apps | — | |
| Editor theme customizer | CSS Customizations |
|
| Focus Mode & Typewriter Scrolling |
Plugins Required |
|
| Wiki-style links & backlinks | ||
| Infinite canvas with connections | ||
| Apple Pencil sketching |
Plugins Required |
|
| Built-In Web Clipper | ||
| iPhone & iPad app | Native |
|
| Windows Support | — | |
| Cross-device sync | Built-in through iCloud |
Obsidian Sync Upsell |
| Easy Sync Conflict Resolution | — | |
| Document History | Detailed with Comparisons & Integrated Between Devices |
Obsidian Sync Upsell |
| ePub and PDF Exporting | Flexible Export Tool |
Plugins Required |
| Dynamic Export Styling | — | |
| Shortcut & Intents Support |
Plugins Required |
Honestly, it depends on what you are looking for! Atlas isn’t trying to be a one-sized fits all solution to Markdown document management; instead, Atlas is a self-contained workspace for collecting, creating, and writing content—a tool that’s designed to get out of your way. If you are looking for something to sit on top of your Markdown documents and build piece by piece, Obsidian is a perfect fit due to its flexibility.
While Atlas can be used to store and manage notes, it is not a markdown file manager and is not designed to sit on top of a “vault”/existing markdown folder collection like Obsidian. Atlas keeps your documents on your device in its separate app container, outside the general Documents folder (in ~/Library/Group Containers/group.dev.contagious.atlas/). Keep in mind: files can be edited directly there, but won’t be updated through iCloud until the next time opened in Atlas.
While you can store your vault on your iCloud Drive, standard Obsidian lacks the integrations to take advantage of full features and avoid potential pitfalls due to iCloud’s asynchronous nature. Common issues include the dreaded “vault not detected” error, duplicate conflict notes, or even missing files. The solutions often require jumping into Finder/Files, user libraries, or paying Obsidian Sync service. Meanwhile, Atlas works seamlessly with iCloud to ensure everything works as you’d expect out of the box.
Your payment goes directly into improving and supporting the product—always current documentation, continuous updates and fixes, and a roadmap you help shape. Rather than splitting features into paid add-ons and tiers, we invest in one well-made tool that provides all that you need, then let its quality justify the price. Your payment also supports a small business whose goal is to make the best possible tool for the creative people who use it, including themselves ♥
